The Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) is an invite-only organization comprised of the world's most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, YEC recently launched StartupCollective, a free virtual mentorship program that helps millions of entrepreneurs start and grow businesses.

Six Effective Ways To Halt Office Gossip

The same scene repeats in companies everywhere: Someone says something at the water cooler at 10:15, and by 10:20, the whole office knows about it. But the problem (gossip) can cause incredible office tension and distract workers from their jobs, lowering productivity and profits. It’s best to nip it in the bud if you want your business to succeed.

Make your employees feel like they matter. Your workers gossip because they feel powerless. They believe that, for one reason or another, there is a distinct gap between themselves and upper management, and that it’s essentially “us vs. them” in the business. They do not feel comfortable voicing their real concerns or ideas through the proper channels, so they vent through the office grapevine. More frequent updates on company issues, feedback, incentives and simply taking the time to talk to your employees one-on-one can combat this. Give clear reasons for your actions, provide ample preparation time to respond and apply rules fairly to all.

Limit the personal-professional mix. On one hand, it’s critical to see your employees as people with real issues, joys, interests, experiences and abilities. For example, if a worker is having car trouble and has to take the bus for a while, you might cut him some slack for clocking in a few minutes late. Similarly, if an employee is desperately trying to shed pounds for health reasons, then you might not want to reward her department with a big box of donuts. Even so, it’s often all too easy for things said outside of the workplace to make their way back into the office, creating drama that (naturally!) gets everybody talking.

Refuse to repeat. Many managers who have gossip issues in their office don’t realize they are contributing to the problem by repeating what’s been said. You might be able to eliminate loose lips if you make sure that what you hear doesn’t come back out of your own mouth. Always be a good model, focusing on your job rather than what the latest story is.

Address the gossip directly. Try talking to the employees who are gossiping on a direct basis. You can do this during a performance review. Alternately, when you notice people gossiping, you can politely and privately tell them that you think it would be more professional if they left the gossip behind, or simply give them information that clears up what everyone is gossiping about. Using team meetings to address gossip can also alert your workers to its pitfalls and clarify your general expectations. However, this method is often less effective than approaching the main offenders directly.

Pay attention to your teams. Employees have a range of personalities, and some gel together better than others. In practice, this means that some of your employees will gravitate to each other and find it easier to converse. You might want to make sure that these employees are on different teams, not only to halt the gossip mill, but also to ensure that your groups are a little more diverse and people get comfortable working together professionally regardless of where they are assigned.

Put good news out there. Managers often find that they cannot stop gossip completely. In this case, your best course of action is to give your workers something positive to gab about. They’ll be so busy focusing on the good stuff that they won’t have time to focus on the negative points that can drain morale and tear down trust. Your good news can be meeting a department goal, getting approval for the new budget, an employee getting promoted, or even that a company picnic is on the calendar.

Gossip doesn’t have to draw your company to a standstill. Be selective about team assignment, share positive news and do everything you can to make your employees feel respected. Every company is different, but these strategies can help you put gossip to rest and build trust in the process.

Courtesy of YEC

Brendon Schenecker is equal parts developer and CEO, which has led to array of tech-based startups and over 10 years of experience managing startup ventures. Brendon is currently founder and CEO of Travel Vegas, a technology-focused destination travel company.

Courtesy of YEC

The Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) is an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, YEC recently launched StartupCollective, a free virtual mentorship program that helps millions of entrepreneurs start and grow businesses.

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